The government is trying to ban CVs. Whatever next?!

I’ve just read that the government is creating a taskforce to overhaul recruitment processes in the UK and develop a national strategy to make hiring faster and simpler.

A noble objective, writes Matt Craven, founder and winning-work expert at The CV & Interview Advisors, but one interesting point made by Viscount Camrose, Chair of the UK Hiring Taskforce, is to explore alternatives to the CV.

Recruiters aren’t making these existential CV claims

Camrose pontificates that “The sooner the CV stops existing, the better for humanity”. 

Of course, Viscount Camrose is entitled to his opinion.

But this seems to be a curious crusade, and frankly, I’m not hearing this drive to ban CVs from the key stakeholders in the recruitment process.

Market forces

Having spent 25 years in the recruitment and careers industry, I’d have expected to be more aware of any negativity towards the concept of a CV from recruiters, employers, and/or job-seekers.

And surely, employers, recruitment businesses, and tech providers are entrepreneurial enough to modernise the recruitment process themselves if it is so broken.

It’s ChatGPT’s fault!

To counterbalance my point, there is a swell of negativity towards AI-created CVs.

But the issue isn't predicated on a fundamental flaw in the concept of a Curriculum Vitae; it’s predicated on the soulless dross that Artificial Intelligence is churning out!

Ironically, this issue has been created by the advent of new technology. Therefore, far from tech solving a problem, it has caused an entirely new one.

What’s wrong with AI-generated CVs?

And here’s the key point -- the issue with AI-generated CVs isn't the quality of writing, or perhaps the format.

Rather, it’s the fact that this AI-human collaboration either regurgitates the same information that was already there, and/or creates a task-based CV that doesn’t provide any demonstrable evidence of the candidate's abilities!

Will Blockchain fix the problem?

The government taskforce champions skills-based hiring, and Viscount Camrose suggests technologies such as blockchain could be used to bypass the CV process by creating a transferable ledger of an individual’s credentials.

Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, this doesn’t solve the problem.

Ability, evidence, and moving forward (or not)

Employers are not just interested in skills; they are interested in ability and evidence of impact.

Summarised as a question: Has the candidate added value beyond simply completing the tasks they were hired to do?

It’s not just about doing the job; it’s about doing it well, and if technology is simply looking for a ledger of skills, that won’t move things forward.  

What is needed is evidence of success, and frankly, that’s where most job-seekers fall down when creating their CVs.

Until the CV ban, join our upcoming CV workshop!

Coincidentally, Contractor UK will be joined by The CV & Interview Advisors on July 22nd to talk about how to create a CV that will rise above the AI-generated dross and get you interviews for high-paying contract roles.

You can register for the live session -- Advanced CV Writing -- The Most Effective CV Methodology on the Planet for Contractors, here. It’s on July 22, 2025, at noon (BST).

And there are replays available at 5.00 PM (BST) on July 22 here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/7442527585476000863

Alternatively, why not try a free and confidential 1-2-1 review of your LinkedIn profile and contractor CV, via one of our seasoned personal branding experts?

This is a detailed, constructive 1-2-1 session to get a handle on where your LinkedIn profile and CV are at for “inside” or “outside” IR35 roles. Find out more here: https://cvandinterviewadvisors.co.uk/partners/contractor-uk